Lakers Waive Shake Milton and Jordan Goodwin For 2026 Season

The Los Angeles Lakers said goodbye to Shake Milton and Jordan Goodwin to make room for Marcus Smart. How will these moves work out for Los Angeles?

Sunday’s Moves In LA

The Los Angeles Lakers announced on Sunday the moves they are making to make room for veteran Guard Marcus Smart. Smart, 31, a former Defensive Player of the Year and a three-time All-Defensive Team member, is one of the players current star Luka Doncic has been interested in recruiting to bring to Los Angeles and strengthen his squad ahead of next season.

Smart has agreed to a contract with the Wizards while he waits for Los Angeles to make room for him. The contract will be for two years and $11 million, with a player option for the 2026 season. That will give the team an improvement on the defensive end that was sorely lacking last season.

Milton and Goodwin

Milton, 28, was selected by the Mavericks 54th overall in the 2018 draft. He played in only 30 games last season for the Lakers, averaging 5.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists.

Goodwin, 26, averaged 5.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 29 games last regular season for the Lakers. Although Goodwin and Milton have rotational roles, neither was able to stay on the court due to Head Coach JJ Redick’s heavy usage of the starters.

Final Thoughts

It is rumored that with the departure of Milton and Goodwin, the team will not complete a 15-man roster to start the season. However, in the past, Lakers President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka has preferred to start the season with an open roster spot.

For the Lakers, and especially for Doncic, adding players of this caliber to their team represents a considerable boost in their championship fight in the upcoming season. We’ll see what happens, but things are looking up for the Lakers.